The National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of the most competitive significant sports leagues globally. Like any other sport, teams have to compete stiffly and face each other to be accorded the champion status.
Every year in April, NBA fans get excited as this marks the start of NBA playoffs. The playoffs are pretty competitive and thrilling to watch, as teams fight to get a chance in the finals and finally head to head to win the championship.
Since its inception, seventy-nine NBA championships have been awarded. Boston Celtics have the highest number of winning, with eighteen, while Los Angeles Lakers have won seventeen times. The Celtics and Lakers are still far ahead of the following teams on the list. So far, only twenty franchises have entered the championship list.
Winning an NBA championship is no walk in the park. You have to put on a good play and a balanced team that will compete throughout the knock-out stages to the finals. However, winning a championship can be affected by issues like injuries, superstars leaving, and bad luck.
The NBA is a very fierce league, and teams without a championship should not feel ashamed. After all, only one team gets accorded the championship label. During the 2018/2019 season, the Toronto Raptors came from behind and won the championship. Based on their previous playoffs, this was something impossible. Magic? Not really! Hard work and determination made them the champions.
Building a competitive NBA team is complex, but having it at the top is a more daunting task. In this article, we shall discuss the ten NBA teams that are yet to carry the championship home. Some of them have a high chance of bagging it, while some have a lot of work to do. Below are the ten teams that are still ringless in the NBA league:
Which NBA Teams Have Never Won a Championship?
Brooklyn Nets
New Jersey Americans, as they were initially founded in 1967, the Brooklyn Nets have won only two ABA championships in the 1970s as the New York Nets but are yet to win an NBA championship. Having entered the league as two-time ABA champions, they were projected to win the league, which unfortunately did not happen.
During the 2002 and 2003 playoffs, they went back-to-back at the NBA finals but lost to LA Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, respectively. They have been unsuccessful in getting back to the NBA finals since 2003.
However, after the breakup of the James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant era, the Nets are rebuilding and still looking for a path back to the Finals.
Indiana Pacers
Founded in 1967, Indiana Pacers had been the most successful team in the ABA league over the nine years. They won three championships and appeared two more times in the finals. However, they were unable to carry the success into the NBA league.
In the NBA, they have had appearances in the finals through Reggie Miller once, but in 2000, they, unfortunately, lost six games to the Lakers. They made it back to the NBA Finals in 2025 but lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games. They have dealt with some of the strongest teams, including Cavaliers, Lakers, and Chicago Bulls. The Indiana Pacers are the only Central Division team that is yet to win a championship.
Charlotte Hornets
In the ’90s, Charlotte Hornets was one of the strongest teams. It was an expansion team that started in 1988 but had no success. They were then re-established as Bobcats in 2004 but were then renamed as the Hornets in 2013.
Key notable players included Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning and Muggsy Bogues, who ensured that the team was always positioned to contend. Long gone are their glory days. They were unable to go past Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks.
Nowadays, they are constantly among the bottom teams that drive away free agents. With such a standing, they have the slightest chance of becoming NBA champions.
Did you know:
The all-time basketball great Michael Jordan became the first former NBA player to become the majority owner of an NBA team when he purchased the Charlotte Hornets. He sold his majority stake in 2023, though he remained connected to the franchise as a minority owner.
Orlando Magic
Having joined the NBA as an expansion team ahead of the 1988-1989 season, the Orlando Magic became one of the hottest teams after signing the legendary Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway. The duo made it to the finals in 1995, but they lost to Houston Rockets.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, Orlando Magic was knocked out by the Chicago Bulls. Their chance of bagging the championship became more impossible after Shaq signed up with LA. However, Dwight Howard took the team to the finals but could not make it past the Lakers.
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns joined the NBA in 1968 as an expansion team. They have made it to the NBA finals three times but have unfortunately lost in all three. Their first appearance in the finals was in 1976, but they, unfortunately, lost to the Boston Celtics.
Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson led the Phoenix Suns to the 1993 NBA finals. Since then, they have had terrific squads, including a 2021 team led by Devin Booker and Chris Paul that reached the NBA Finals before losing to the Milwaukee Bucks. In NBA history, Steve Nash led an entertaining offense, but that era also fell short of winning the championship.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies was started in Vancouver in 1995 before relocating to Memphis in 2001. Despite having players like Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Pau Gasol, they had a difficult start before becoming a regular playoff team in the Grit and Grind era. Their deepest run came in 2013, when they reached the Western Conference Finals and lost four games to the Spurs, diming their chance into the NBA finals. They are yet to make a trip to the NBA finals.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers was founded in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves and have played eight seasons in the Empire State before heading to San Diego in 1978. They moved to LA ahead of the 1984-1985 NBA season and have for a long time been the laughing stock.
They finally reached the conference finals in 2021, but they have still never made it to the NBA Finals. The Paul George and Kawhi Leonard era did not produce a Finals trip, and George left the Clippers in 2024.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves was established just before the 1988-1989 NBA season. Like any other expansion team, they struggled in the early years, but things started to change when Kevin Garnett joined them in 1995.
They made their first appearance in 1996 and proceeded to make eight more straight postseason appearances until 2004. By then, they had made it to the Western Conference Finals but unfortunately lost six games to the Lakers. The team became a massive success among the fans, and they returned to the Western Conference Finals in 2024 and 2025, but they are still waiting for their first NBA Finals appearance.
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans franchise has been around since 2002, when it began as the New Orleans Hornets, and changed to New Orleans Pelicans before the 2013-2014 season. They are yet to appear in the NBA finals.
The team has fought to hold on to their stars like Anthony Davis and Chris Paul, and they have tried to build around Zion Williamson. Maybe he can still be the missing piece to their championship. With such players, they might make it to the finals within no time.
Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz began as the New Orleans Jazz in 1974 and played there for five seasons before shifting to Salt Lake City in 1979. Starting in the 1983-1984 season, they made twenty consecutive appearances in the postseason.
With legendary players like Karl Malone and John Stockton, it is still a baffle how Utah Jazz missed the NBA title. They made back-to-back finals in 1997 and 1998 but could not bag the title after losing to Chicago Bulls.
In recent years, Utah Jazz has moved into a rebuild after trading away major pieces from its previous playoff core.
Related Read: All 30 NBA Team Logos and a Bit of History
Final Words
Many teams in the above list have a high chance of bagging the NBA championship, while some don’t stand a chance at all. If your team is on the list, it is frustrating even thinking about it. But, things do change. Toronto Raptors, for instance, would have been on this list, too, but they became the 2019 NBA champions.